Coffin



(N0 Model.)

J. MAXWELL.

OQPPIN.

No. 338,855. Patented Mar. 30-, 1886.-

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2o improvements.

5 ings.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN MAXWELL, OF ONEIDA, NEIV YORK COFFIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,855, dated March 30 1886.

Application tiled December 17. 1885. Serial No. 185,876. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN llIAXWELL, of Oneida, in the county of Madison, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful 5 Improvements in Burial-Gaskets, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a full,clear,and exact description.

This invention consists in a novel construction of a metallic burial-casket at the junction of the lid with the casket, whereby the said parts are thoroughly stiffened and fitted air-tight to each other; and the invention also consists in novel devices for clamping the r 5 lid on the casket, all as hereinafter fully described,and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure I is a vertical transverse section of the upper portion of one side of a burial-casket embodying my Fig. II is a side view of the same. Fig. III is a top plan view. Fig. 1V is a detached side view of the lid-fastener, and Figs. V and VI are respectively transverse sectional and side views of modifications of.

my invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

0 represents the side of a burial-casket formed of sheet metal. The sides and ends of said casket I stiffen by bars a, of rectangular form in cross-section, placed fiatwise horizontally, and secured to the aforesaid plates by folding the upper portions thereof around the bars a, as illustrated in Fig. I of the draw- These stiffeningbars are of a width to form outward projections on the top of the sides and ends of the casket for the purpose hereinafter presently explained.

Upon the top of the inner portion of the bars a is seated the lid L, which I also stiffen lid. This bar I prefer to make V shape or of triangular form in cross-section, and with the V-shaped edge facing the top of the bars a, so as to permit the edge of the bar h to better embed itself in a rubber or other suitable 5o packing strip, f, which I interpose between the bars hand a, and cement onto or otherwise properly secure it to the top ofthe inner portion of the bars a, so as to bring said packing strip or seat of the lid nearly or quite directly over the top of the side and end walls of the casket, and thus properly support the lid. The bar h is narrower than and reaches only part way the width of the outward projection of the bars a, for the purpose hereinafter explained.

The lid L,I clamp on the casket by lugs or posts rising from the outward projection of the top of the casket body at the outside of the marginal portion of the lid, and having arms projecting over the latter, and wedges, cams, eccentrics, or other equivalent clamping devices introduced between the arms of the posts and underlying portion of the lid, whereby the stiffening bar h becomes properly embedded in the packing-stripfiso as to render the joint between the lid and casket perfectly air-tight.

The aforesaid lid-fastening devices admit of several modifications, two forms of which are illustrated in the annexed drawings.

The device shown in Figs. I, II, III, and

IV consists of a vertical pintle, b, of the formof a screw, entering a screw-threaded hole in the outward projecting portion of the bars a. This screw is loosely embraced by a ferrule or sleeve, 0, which constitutes a lug rising from the top-of the casket, and pivoted on a vertically-sustained axis. On a pintle, d, projecting horizontally from the side of the sleeve 0, is pivoted a cam or eccentric, e, provided with a suitable handle or thumb-piece by which to manipulate it. By turning the sleeve 0 about its axis the aforesaid cam or eccentric can be swung either outward,as represented by dotted lines in Fig. I of the drawings, oriinward,as shown by full lines in said figure.

The outward portion of the cam or eccentric permits of placing the lid in proper position upon the packing-strip f of the casket, and the inward position of the cam or eccentric brings it directly over the marginal portion or stiffening-bar of thelid L, and by turning the said cam or eccentric on its horizontal axis it is made to impinge the underlying marginal portion or stiffening'bar of the lid and press the lower edge of the' 'same into the packing-strip f.

The aforesaid is my preferred arrangement of the lid-fastener in relation to the casket and mentof parts, inasmuch as a rigid'lugor post,

0, may be secured to the outward projecting portion of the bar a and made to reach overthe top of the marginal portion of the lid, as represented-in Figs. V and VI of the drawings. In this case the cam or eccentric e is pivoted on the side of the ferrule or sleeve 0, which loosely embraces a vertical pintle attached to the stiffening-bar h of the lid L.

The object of securing the lid-fastener to the outward projecting portion of the bars a, and at the outside of the outer edge of the margin of the lid, is to retain the lid-fasteners on the casket after the lid is removed and to have said fasteners convenient of access when to be used for securing the lid to the casket. Said described arrangement of the lid fasteners also obviates perforating either the sides or lid of the case for the attachment of the aforesaid fasteners, thus leaving the sides and lid of the casket intact and perfectly air-tight.

My invention may be employed either as a metallic lining for the inside of a wooden casket or it may be made of sufficiently thick metal to render it self-sustaining and to constitute the casket proper.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the casket-body provided at the top of its side and end walls with outward projections, the lid seated on the casket directly over the walls thereof and having around its base outward projections reaching part way the width of the projection of the casket-body, posts rising from the projections of the casket at the outside of the margin of the lid and having arms projecting over,

the same, and cams or their described equiva lents interposed between said arms and marginal portion of the lid, substantially as set forth. v

2. In combination with the casket-body and its lid, an outward projection around the top of said body, a packingstrip on the latter, a bar secured to the base of the lid and having a V-shaped longitudinal bottom edge resting on the packing-strip, posts on the outward projection of the casketbody, arms on said posts, and cams or their described equivalents on the arms engaging the top of the bar on the base of the lid, substantially as set forth and shown. I

3. The combination, with the casket G, of the bar a, secured to the top thereof and projecting outward therefrom, the pintle b, secured vertically on the projecting portion of the bar a, the sleeve 0, embracing loosely the said pintle, the pintle d, projecting horizontally from the said sleeve, and the cam .or eccentric e, pivoted on the pintle d and adapted to impinge the marginal portion of the lid, substantially as described and shown.

4. The combination, with the casket and its lid, of the stiffening-bars a, attached to and projecting outward from the top edge of the easket, the packing-stripfover the inner portion of the bars a, thestiffening-bars h,of triangular 9 JOHN MAXWELL. s.] Witnesses:

FREDERICK H. (lanes, 0. H. DUELL. 

